Stepping Up Again!

[mckenry]

Hi all,
Below is an extract out of the yeast topic
[topic="0"]http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?autocom=ineo&showarticle=20[/topic]
I read the 9 pages of Batz's technique also - which is mostly about stepping up, to then store for later use.

I just need a clarification on something I plan to do with Liquid Ale yeast. I cant find any thread that answers this directly.

I am making a double batch (about 42L expected) and have 1 wyeast smack pack. If everyone makes a single 1.040 starter, up to roughly 1.5L (made up of 1L water, 100g DME & 125mL wyeast) for a 22ish L batch, do I need to make the starter up to 2.5L -3L to double the cell count? I assume this just means adding another 100g DME 1L water mix when the first starter is at high krausen?

This is where I am confused: When it says below "optionally decanting the "beer" on top of the yeast and only pitching the yeasty portion" does this mean the starter has completely finished and the yeast has caked on the bottom? (but the quote says once it is complete or at high krausen) I thought it was best to pitch when the starter is high krausen, which would mean the yeast wouldnt have settled out yet? Or does it settle even though it is at high krausen?

Also, if I plan to store yeast for later use, instead of using stubbies, which will take up too much fridge space for me, can I completely ferment out the starter, pour off the 'beer' leaving only the smallest amount of liquid, stir the yeast into suspension and pour into my small sample jars which are about 100mL I think? This would leave me a greater yeast:beer ratio in storage than if I use Batz's method of pouring into stubbies without decanting.

I hope someone can make sense of what I am asking and can answer this :lol:

Thanks,
mckenry


Starters

Making a starter is as simple as making a certain amount of 1.040 wort, using a kit or dry malt extract and optionally, a hop pellet. 1.040 is as simple as 100g DME in 1L of water. The wort is boiled for a short time to ensure sterility, then an amount of yeast is added once cooled. The starter can be shaken vigorously to ensure aeration and suspension of yeast which helps growth, or it can be left, or it can be placed on a stirplate for the more advanced yeast junkies. Once the fermentation is complete in the starter or it is at high krausen (big fluffy white head), the starter is added to the full wort batch, optionally decanting the "beer" on top of the yeast and only pitching the yeasty portion. For ales, a 500mL to 1L starter is recommended, for cold-pitched lagers, anywhere from 1.5L to 4L.

For an excellent guide to making starters with pictures, see Batz's technique for starting Wyeast

 

[therook]

Hi all,
Below is an extract out of the yeast topic
[topic="0"]http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?autocom=ineo&showarticle=20[/topic]
I read the 9 pages of Batz's technique also - which is mostly about stepping up, to then store for later use.

I just need a clarification on something I plan to do with Liquid Ale yeast. I cant find any thread that answers this directly.

I am making a double batch (about 42L expected) and have 1 wyeast smack pack. If everyone makes a single 1.040 starter, up to roughly 1.5L (made up of 1L water, 100g DME & 125mL wyeast) for a 22ish L batch, do I need to make the starter up to 2.5L -3L to double the cell count? I assume this just means adding another 100g DME 1L water mix when the first starter is at high krausen?

This is where I am confused: When it says below "optionally decanting the "beer" on top of the yeast and only pitching the yeasty portion" does this mean the starter has completely finished and the yeast has caked on the bottom? (but the quote says once it is complete or at high krausen) I thought it was best to pitch when the starter is high krausen, which would mean the yeast wouldnt have settled out yet? Or does it settle even though it is at high krausen?

Also, if I plan to store yeast for later use, instead of using stubbies, which will take up too much fridge space for me, can I completely ferment out the starter, pour off the 'beer' leaving only the smallest amount of liquid, stir the yeast into suspension and pour into my small sample jars which are about 100mL I think? This would leave me a greater yeast:beer ratio in storage than if I use Batz's method of pouring into stubbies without decanting.

I hope someone can make sense of what I am asking and can answer this :lol:

Thanks,
mckenry


Starters

Making a starter is as simple as making a certain amount of 1.040 wort, using a kit or dry malt extract and optionally, a hop pellet. 1.040 is as simple as 100g DME in 1L of water. The wort is boiled for a short time to ensure sterility, then an amount of yeast is added once cooled. The starter can be shaken vigorously to ensure aeration and suspension of yeast which helps growth, or it can be left, or it can be placed on a stirplate for the more advanced yeast junkies. Once the fermentation is complete in the starter or it is at high krausen (big fluffy white head), the starter is added to the full wort batch, optionally decanting the "beer" on top of the yeast and only pitching the yeasty portion. For ales, a 500mL to 1L starter is recommended, for cold-pitched lagers, anywhere from 1.5L to 4L.

For an excellent guide to making starters with pictures, see Batz's technique for starting Wyeast

Here are a couple of good links that should help you out

Link 1

Link 2

Rook

 

[Goofinder]

Link 3

I have a few jars filled with fermented out yeast in the fridge. I just made up a 1L starter from a fresh pack, fermented it out, split off into 5 jars and left 1/6 remaining. Stepped up the remaining 1/6 to another 1L, fermented out, poured off liquid and added some cooled wort. Waited for that to take off and pitched.

When I need some more, I just made up another 1L of starter and add the contents of the jar to that.

Putting the fermented out starter in the fridge is a good way of getting the yeast to drop out so you won't lose much when you pour off the liquid.

 

[SJW]

Some good points raised above, as I have recently got into liquid yeast this is my method after using a few. I have found that with Ale yeast there's no need to step up anyway, at least for a 25 litre batch. But with Lager yeast I pitch into a 2 litre starter of 1.040 - 1.050 wort and let it ferment out at room temp (20 deg C or so) then put it in the fridge when its done. I do this a few days priot to brew day. On brew day I pour off the clear beer from the starter and while the wort from the brew is cooling down in the fermentation fridge I will run off a couple of litres onto the slurry in the starter flask and as it is fresh it kick off straight away, and within an hour or so its at high krusen and can be pitch into the main wort.
Now I have tryed a few ways of storing yeast and I find the easiest is to wait for that first brew to finish and after I have kegged it I either add a little water or just use whats left in the bottom of the fermenter and swish it around and fill 4,5 or 6 stubbies 3/4's full and add a little sugar and cap them. The hops alcohol and co2 all work to keep the yeast fresh and infection free. Then when I want to use that yeast again I just pour off the clear beer and add some wort prior to pitching in the main brew again.
One thing to note, is with the first brew that u will be using to save the yeast slurry from, I try to make it clean as possible. ie no trub from the kettle and I try to make it from a brew that has less hops than some. This is not a problem for me as most of my Lagers are German style.
This system works well for me, as I did not like stepping up small amounts of yeast then cooling to clear to starter so I could pour it off and step up again.



Steve

 

[mckenry]

Thanks to Rook & Goofinder.

So after reading the links I think there seems to be two distinct methods of yeast farming. That is - without getting into slants, acid washing and all the really nerdy stuff - No offence yeast nerds - I'm not there yet.

1. Making a starter and fermenting right out, then splitting and storing (to later make another starter from and pitch into wort at high krausen)
&
2. Harvesting post primary, then washing a few times keeping the milky liquid NOT the heavies that fall to the bottom in the first 10 minutes or so and topping up with sanitised water until there is a fine white layer, no trub and the water stays clear.

Do I have it now?

 

[therook]

Thanks to Rook & Goofinder.

So after reading the links I think there seems to be two distinct methods of yeast farming. That is - without getting into slants, acid washing and all the really nerdy stuff - No offence yeast nerds - I'm not there yet.

1. Making a starter and fermenting right out, then splitting and storing (to later make another starter from and pitch into wort at high krausen)
&
2. Harvesting post primary, then washing a few times keeping the milky liquid NOT the heavies that fall to the bottom in the first 10 minutes or so and topping up with sanitised water until there is a fine white layer, no trub and the water stays clear.

Do I have it now?

Bingo

 

[Effect]

link 2 helped me the most!

pictures